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development fees a threat to new malls lisa queen staff reporter a york region plan to hike development charges could jeopardize future megamalls and plaza expansions and the huge property taxes they generate that warning comes from one of yorks top mall devel opers and from politicians worried prospective retailers will flee to surrounding com munities if the region jacks up sf its rates development charges are the fees imposed on new homes stores factories and office buildings to help pay for infrastructure such as roads and sewers paul gleason is vicepresi dent r of development for cambridge shopping centres part of a consortium planning to build a 73hectare mall at hwy 400 and rutherford road in vaughan the massive shopping centre could attract as many as 20 v r i- purchase financing upto 48 months u chevrolet cavalier coupe m chevrolet maubu willi purchase m559 smartlease yno security deposit 36 monthss750 down payment the car more canadians depend upon for the last eight years its no wonder with 22 litre engine 5speed manual transmission 4wheel abs dual front air bags rear spoiler passlock theftdeterrent system tinted glass reclining front bucket seats rear seat heat ducts body side mouldings jr chevrolet lumina no security deposit purchase 1999 36 months1830 down payment an awardwinning chevrolet that will deliver more than expected with 24 litre twin cam engine automatic transmission 4wheel abs dual front air bags childsecurity door locks passlock theftdeterrent system amfm stereo with cassette air conditioning power trunk release oldsmobile intrigue 258 no security deposit purchase aim 36moriths1860 down payment straightforward chevrolet value you can trust in a sixpassenger car vi l 3t litre v6 ehgine automatic transmission 4wleel abs dual front air bags childsecurity rear door locks passkey ii theftdeterrent system air conditioning amfm stereo with cassette remote keyless entry power windowsdoor lockstrunk release region 9 9 purchase 25j699 l no security deposit 736 mohths2650 down payment r r- p oldsmobiles sophisticated sporty fivepassenger sedan with worldclass performance 195 hp 3800 series ii v6 engine fullfunction traction control highperfor mance fourwheel independent suspension electronically controlled automatic transmission with overdrivo 16 alloy wheels 4wheel abs remote keyless entry air conditioning dealers w yottshould know thte based on a 36 month leaso for 98 cavalier coupews mahb98 lumina98 intrigue a down payment or trade of mrt m sow i 75q18301 86052650 are required annual kilometre limit 20000 km 012 per excess kilometre or cavalier coupemalibulumina la v thc gm card annual kilometre limit 24000 km 010 per excess kilometre for intrigue other lease options available freight 6457208l08l0 licence insurance and taxes notindudod dealer may soil or lease for less ffinancing on approved gmac credit cty example 10000 at 19 apr the monthly payment is 21651 tor 48 months cost of borrowing is 39248 total obligation is 1039248 down payment trade andor securi- monthfy payment and cost of borrowing win vary depending on amount borrowed and down daymen wrade ttorfers apply to 1998 new or demonstra- ty deposit may be required tor models equipped as described and applies to qualified retail customers in central southweslem eastern ontarto ami western cweboc or cfor does not apply to 98 chevrolet corvette98 okjsmobile aurora98 cadillac oovine seville eldorado limited time offers which may riot be combined with other offers see your dealerfs for conditions and details wwwgmcanadacom is a trademark of general motors corporation registered trade mark of general motors corporation td bank licensed user of mark chevrolet ojdsmobfle million visitors a year and con tribute 7 million in annual proper ty taxes cambridge also plans to build a 300000squarefoot expansion to upper canada mall in newmarket next year at a regional meeting last week gleason complained the develop ment charges his company faces are inflated york is about to become the first region in ontario to adopt new development fees under the provinces new development charges act yorks fees on new homes are slated to jump to 9012 for a sin gle family home up from 7480 a phasedin increase will bring charges for industrial office or institutional developments up to 249 a square foot by march 2002 thats up from todays rate of 129 but its the new fee being recom mended for commercial develop ment that is causing the most uproar retailers now pay 1 29 a square foot but regional staff are recom mending boosting it to 325 by march 2002 torn webster yorks director of development financing sajd com mercial should pay more because it often needs more services and its easier to attract retailers because they need to be near resi- dential development by compari son industry has more flexibility in choosing its location webster pointed out both sectors are getting a break the region would have to charge industries 3 a square foot and commercial development 650 a square foot to fully recoup the cost of providing them with the services they need but gleason pointed out retailers already pay more in property taxes than industry and he argued commercial con struction provides thousands of jobs increases tourism and raises the regions profile gleason added its unfair to base development charges solely on a malls size there must be some recognition that as the size and magnitude of the project increases there are diminishing returns of regional ser vices he suggested a cap beyond a cer tain size but vaughan mayor lorna jackson said a sliding scale would be more appropriate she agreed that a huge increasein development charges would scare retailers away she said commercial properties soon pay back any break they get in development charges once they start paying property taxes by reducing development charges jackson said york would encourage bigger commercial cen tres which woujd result in more taxes markham councillor ralph aselin is also concerned about the high retail charges he said stores provide far more jobs per square foot than most industries do